France and Italy will once again stand on opposite sides of the net in a decisive match, two years after the EuroVolley 2024 final in Sofia. This time, the stake is a direct quota for the 2027 European Championship, but one of the most intriguing individual encounters will not take place – Viden Natsev will be with France, while Manuel Zlatanov is not in Italy's squad for the WEVZA qualification in Frankfurt.
Today, August 20, at 7:00 PM, France and Italy will face each other in the final of the WEVZA qualification tournament in Frankfurt. The winner will earn a direct spot at the 2027 European Championship.
In the French squad is Viden Natsev, who is the team captain. From the new season, he will continue his development at French Narbonne.
On the other side of the net, however, we will not see Manuel Zlatanov – the grandson of Bulgarian volleyball legend Dimitar Zlatanov and son of Hristo Zlatanov.
Manuel was born and raised in Italy and is an Italian national, but his surname inevitably attracts attention in Bulgaria as well.
Thus, the final in Frankfurt will not offer us a new encounter between Natsev and Zlatanov.
| Team | Opponent | Result | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | Switzerland | 3:0(25:22,25:17,25:23) | Group B |
| France | Netherlands | 3:0(25:19,25:23,25:17) | Group A |
| Italy | Portugal | 3:0(25:20,25:22,25:17) | Group B |
| France | Germany | 3:0(25:15,25:21,25:19) | Group A |
| Italy | Spain | 3:1(25:18,22:25,25:17,25:21) | Group B |
| France | Spain | 3:1(21:25,25:16,27:25,25:16) | Semifinal |
| Italy | Germany | 3:1(25:21,20:25,25:22,25:22) | Semifinal |
France reached the final with three consecutive victories, losing only one set – against Spain in the semifinal. Italy is also undefeated, having won all three of its group matches and then eliminating Germany with a 3:1 score. Both teams enter the final in excellent form.
The two have already met in Sofia
The story between the two has an interesting backstory.
In 2024, France and Italy reached the final of the European U18 Championship, the decisive phase of which took place in Sofia.
Viden Natsev was part of the French squad, and Manuel Zlatanov was among Italy's key volleyball players.
On July 21, 2024, the two teams met in the final at the "Levski Sofia" hall.
France won convincingly with 3:0 (25:15, 25:20, 25:21) and became European champions, while Italy took home the silver medals.
Manuel Zlatanov finished the final with 13 points and was subsequently included in the championship's ideal team.
Viden Natsev, on the other hand, left Sofia as a European champion with France.
Two years later, the scenario almost repeated itself.
Now, two years later, history could have offered a kind of continuation.
Again France against Italy. Again a decisive match. Again high stakes. And again Viden Natsev and Manuel Zlatanov could have been on opposite sides of the net.
Only this time, Zlatanov is not there.
The Italian Federation announced Mario Di Pietro's squad for the WEVZA qualification tournament, which is taking place from August 16 to 20 in Frankfurt, but Manuel Zlatanov's name is not among the selected volleyball players.
This is curious, also in light of the fact that earlier in the summer, the young receiver was part of the plans of the Italian national teams.
Zlatanov starts preparation with Piacenza on August 24.
Another detail shows that Manuel has no commitment with the Italian national team during this period.
On August 19, Gas Sales Bluenergy Volley Piacenza officially announced the program for the start of their preparation for the 2026/2027 season.
The first training session is on August 24 at "PalaBancaSport," and only seven first-team players will be available to head coach Dante Boninfante from day one.
Manuel Zlatanov is among them. A curious detail is that during the club's preparation, Zlatanov will also work with the conditioning coach of the Bulgarian men's national team, Lorenzo Barbieri. The Italian specialist will join Piacenza after his commitments with the Bulgarian national team and will continue his work as a conditioning coach in Boninfante's staff.
Piacenza explicitly clarified that a number of other volleyball players are currently engaged with their national teams and will gradually join the preparation after the completion of international competitions and their deserved rest days.
Zlatanov, however, is among the players who will start preparation as early as August 24.
So far, no official reason has been announced by the Italian Federation as to why Manuel is not in the squad for the tournament in Frankfurt.
Natsev will lead France against Italy
For Viden Natsev, the situation is different. He is the captain of France and will lead the team in the decisive match against Italy. Thus, Natsev will once again face the "Azzurri", two years after the European final in Sofia.
This time, however, Manuel Zlatanov will not be on the other side.
This is precisely what leaves a certain degree of regret, because a new encounter between the two would have added another interesting storyline to the final in Frankfurt.
In 2024, their paths crossed in Sofia in a match for the European title.
In 2026, France and Italy once again reached a decisive match – this time for direct qualification to EuroVolley 2027.
Natsev is there again. Zlatanov is not there this time.
Therefore, the continuation of their rivalry will have to wait.
photos: Nikolay Varadinov andgassalespiacenza.it
